European Music Contest 8
}} ◄ #7 }}} }European Music Contest 9|#9 ► - |} European Music Contest 8, often referred to as EMC 8, is the 8th edition of European Music Contest. The contest took place in the city of Belgrade, Serbia, after D.A.S won the previous contest hosted in Yerevan, Armenia with the song "Igraj Hrabro Srbijo". The venue for the contest was announced on April 5, 2014, as Belgrade Arena. European Music Contest 8 will see 26 countries in the Grand Final, and two semifinals. The semifinals will see all countries that don't finished top 6 last year Location Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. Its name translates to White city. The city has a population of 1.23 million, while over 1.65 million people live in its metro area (which encompass administrative limits of City of Belgrade). One of the most important prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vinča culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the 6th millennium BC. In antiquity, Thraco-Dacians inhabited the region, and after 279 BC Celts conquered the city, naming it Singidūn. It was conquered by the Romans during the reign of Augustus, and awarded city rights in the mid 2nd century. It was settled by the Slavs in the 520s, and changed hands several times between the Byzantine Empire, Frankish Empire, Bulgarian Empire and Kingdom of Hungary before it became the capital of Serbian King Stephen Dragutin (1282–1316). In 1521, Belgrade was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and became the seat of the Sanjak of Smederevo. It frequently passed from Ottoman to Habsburg rule, which saw the destruction of most of the city during the Austro-Ottoman wars. Belgrade was again named the capital of Serbia in 1841. Northern Belgrade remained the southernmost Habsburg post until 1918, when the city was reunited. As a strategic location, the city was battled over in 115 wars and razed to the ground 44 times. Belgrade was the capital of Yugoslavia (in various forms of governments) from its creation in 1918, to its final dissolution in 2006. Belgrade has a special administrative status within Serbia and it is one of five statistical regions of Serbia. Its metropolitan territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each with its own local council. It covers 3.6% of Serbia's territory, and 22.5% of the country's population lives in the city. The city has been awarded many titles, and the nomination for European Capital of Culture 2020. Venue Kombank Arena (originally known as Belgrade Arena) is an indoor arena located in Novi Beograd, Belgrade. It is designed as a universal hall for sport, cultural events and other programs. With a total space that covers 48,000 square metres, and an official total capacity of 20,000 seats (for handball, volleyball, basketball and other events), it is one of the largest indoor arenas in the world. Maximum capacity can be up to 25,000, depending on the event being held. Its cost was estimated at €70 million. During its construction, the provisory name of the Arena was Hala Limes. Yet, when the construction of the Arena was finished in 2004, it was given the official name Beogradska Arena (Belgrade Arena). In February 2007, Serbian basketball coach Božidar Maljković started an initiative to name the Arena after another renowned Serbian basketball coach, Aleksandar Nikolić. Maljković presented his initiative to the city officials and the president of Serbia Boris Tadić, but the name change hasn't been accepted. In June 2012, the Arena officials signed a five-year agreement with Komercijalna banka to change the name to Kombank Arena, and the name change became official in September 2012. Semifinals 'Semi-final Allocation Draw' The draw that determined the semi-final allocation was held on April 6, 2014 at the Belgrade Arena. The participating countries, excluding the Big 6, were split into six pots, based on voting history and geographical location. From these pots, 16 countries were allocated to compete in the first semi-final, 16 were allocated to compete in the second semi-final. The pots are as follows: The big 6 will vote as follow: Croatia, Norway and Ukraine in the first semi-final, Denmark, Finland and Serbia in the second semi-final. 'Semi-Final 1' The semifinal was held in Belgrade on April 10. *The 10 countries in the semi-final with the highest scoring points, according to the votes from each voting country, qualifies for the Grand Final. * Croatia, Norway and Ukraine voted in this semifinal 'Semi-Final 2' The semifinal was held in Belgrade on April 11. *The 10 countries in the semi-final with the highest scoring points, according to the votes from each voting country, qualifies for the Grand Final. * Denmark, Finland and Serbia (Host) voted in this semifinal 'Final'